Key Takeaways:- The Lee–Trump summit avoided disaster but exposed deep cracks, urging Seoul to take the lead in shaping alliance strategy rather than reacting to Washington.- ICE raids and stalled negotiations show how U.S. domestic politics can disrupt ties — Seoul must turn its supply-chain leverage into strategic advantage.- Seoul must present a clear, credible “pacemaker” plan that blends deterrence, dipl...

Key Takeaways: - Trump is dealing with a different kind of progressive South Korean government in his second term. - Ambition could backfire. The leaders should focus on reaffirming long-standing alliance principles rather than details on thorny security and defense issues. - Strategic flexibility, burden sharing and details on modernizing the alliance should be dealt with between working-level officia...

Key Takeaways: - Trump is expected to demand a massive increase in South Korea's financial contributions to defense, up from the current 2.6% of GDP to 3.8%. South Korea should shift the narrative from a simple transaction to a strategic partnership to deal with Trump's demands.- The summit offers an opportunity to modernize the U.S.-ROK alliance for the shifting Indo-Pacific landscape. South Korea must navigate...

Key Takeaways: - While Trump and Lee are in agreement on some issues, the upcoming summit remains unpredictable as Trump is expected to return to his transactional demand that South Korea pay more for its own defense, leaving the task of limiting damage to the alliance to President Lee. His challenge will be dealing with Trump's personality and establishing a positive personal relationship.- President Lee's...

Key Takeaways: - In Trump’s Oval Office, when politically progressive leaders of allied countries challenge Trump, fireworks ensue. But South Korea could turn out to be an exception. - Lee administration appears to be more open to discussing regional security under the alliance modernization framework than the Yoon administration. - If the two leaders are able to stabilize the U.S.-South Korea ...